healthy eating

With temperatures set to soar this week, we’re picturing sparkling blue seas, olive groves and a table set with delicious Mediterranean food. Renowned as one of the healthiest diets in the world, there couldn’t be a better time to give it a try. From juicy, sun ripened tomatoes and salad drizzled in olive oil to succulent seafood, traditional dishes enjoyed in southern France, Spain, Italy and Greece are full of the nutrients needed for healthy ageing. In fact, people who follow a Mediterranean diet tend to have a lower risk of developing age-related health problems including heart disease, stroke, diabetes and even Alzheimer’s. We take a look at the common ingredients in Mediterranean meals and some simple ways to include them in your day-to-day diet.

Confused about all the ways you can keep your heart healthy? We’ve got the perfect guide! We constantly hear that it’s important to look after your heart but the advice is numerous and it can be difficult to keep track of it all. Check our handy guide for a breakdown of how you can easily maintain a healthy heart.

If you’re unsure about the latest superfoods, then join the queue! For an easier way of joining the healthy eating revolution then read on… It seems like every time we open a newspaper or check our favourite news website there’s a new miracle food taking over the headlines. While some of the health benefits are undeniable, you might be surprised that there are Secret Superfoods already hard at work in your favourite Oakhouse meals.

As the nights draw in and we begin to feel a cold snap in the evenings, it’s clear that autumn is on the way, and along with it the start of cold and flu season. Did you know that the food choices you make now could help you fight off the coughs and sniffles later on in the year? Now is the time to start boosting your immune system for winter. Eating certain, vitamin and mineral rich foods is one of the easiest ways to give yourself a fighting chance against the inevitable germs that come your way in the autumn in winter.

 There has been a large increase in demand for meals to be made without certain ingredients to cater for a wide variety of dietary requirements due to a heightened level of awareness of allergens. However, due to the increase in demand, manufacturers and re-sellers have cottoned on to this; in turn increasing prices for the customer. Thanks to this almost unscrupulous move by the providers to wring more profit from this sector, the gross worth of this market has increased by almost £600 million in only 5 years; now worth an astonishing £806 million.

This summer has been a mixed bag so far. But as the temperature heats up it’s important to remember to stay cool this season. Have a look at the tips from Oakhouse Foods for staying safe and healthy in the summer. Stay hydrated Drinking a lot of liquid in these long summer days is essential to stay healthy. You need to continuously replace water that you lose throughout the day. Men and women should drink 2.0 litres of fluid per day to stay fully hydrated. All drinks count towards this; however water is the best choice. Alcohol and salty food can lead to heightened levels of dehydration. Symptoms of dehydration include:

Eating five portions of fruit and vegetables a day is something that we’ve had drummed into us for as long as we can remember. A new study could be about to change all of this… The study from the University College London examined the diet and lifestyle of 65,000 men and women between 2001 and 2013. The conclusion? Those who ate seven or more portions of fruit and veg a day were reaping in the health benefits. Their overall risk of death was lowered by 42%, while the risk of dying of cancer was slashed by 25%. These figures are in addition to the existing five-a-day benefits, such as a lower risk of stroke, obesity and type 2 diabetes.